BURLINGTON, VT — According to preordained sources, a 37-point Calvinist bravely and openly admitted his own depravity this week during a brutal intellectual beat-down of an ignorant atheist. Witnesses were shocked by the young man's great honesty about his fallen condition, in addition to his luminous intellect and well-oiled beard.

"Listen, it's right there in the Doctrine of Total Depravity," he said. "I'm totally depraved. I'm a worthless sinner with no merit deserving of God's grace...duh. If you deny that, it's because God in his mercy has not yet chosen to awaken your spirit with the divine light of his unmerited favor. You are an enemy of God and you are completely repulsive to Him. I say this with gentleness and respect because I love you."

As the Calvinist spoke through a thick cloud of the finest pipe tobacco smoke, sources say they detected a hint of smugness in his smile. The atheist detected the smug attitude and pointed it out.

"Point proved!" said the Calvinist. "I am a depraved sinner and my smugness proves that point!"

The hapless atheist replied, "I don't know... I don't feel like I'm really that bad of a person."

This was the moment the young Calvinist had been waiting for. He set down his pipe, looked at the poor deceived sinner through narrowed eyes, and with a wry smile, demolished the atheist's puny argument once and for all. "...by what standard?" he said.

The atheist stood there dumbfounded with a dumb atheist look on his face. He knew he had been beaten and was left with no choice but to repent.

Sources in heaven say that thanks to this bold, brilliant Calvinist's bold and brilliant witness, God decided to go ahead and choose the atheist for salvation before the foundation of the world.